SINGAPORE: A woman told her friend to apply for a maid job after the latter, who graduated with a Science degree from NUS, complained that she could not find a job.
The woman said that there are many maid agencies around. “Then, an epiphany dawned on me: if this so-called maid “job” is so terribly insulting and that it’s “unfit for locals” to do, isn’t it really the case that the living conditions and salary for maids is just underpaid by our own standards?” the woman wrote.
She continued: “Would you think it’s okay for you or your daughter to work 16 hours a day with half a day off on Sunday for 500 mighty Singapore dollars a month? What makes Singaporeans so special that they can treat other human beings as being fine to do these jobs that aren’t fine for any local to do?”
The woman wrote in her post that her friends who employed maids would often ironically complain that their maids were lazy and think it fit to scold or punish their helpers. She referred to them as ‘maid-owners’ in her post and said: “I’ve told them off multiple times but as I said earlier, maid-owners just can’t be reasoned with. Im a veteran in these arguments and have learnt to flawlessly defeat their logic in even a way they can understand. They always end up hunkering down on “shaddap” and that it’s their right to own a maid – mind your own business”.
Here’s what netizens who commented on her post said:
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Earlier in the year, another woman took to social media asking others what the average salary of a maid should be. She also wanted to know if their salary was proportionate to the experience they had and the responsibilities they took on.
In a post to a support group on social media for domestic helpers and employers alike, the woman asked: “Could you help me benchmark helper salary?”
She wanted to know if anyone was paid a monthly salary of $950 or more. “If so, how many years of experience do you have and what’s your primary responsibility (childcare, elderly care, cleaning, etc)?” the woman asked. In response, a number of helpers shared that they received over $1,000 a month. One even said she was paid $1,800.
Woman asks if $950 is reasonable salary for maids; one helper says she was paid $1,100